Airtasker is a trusted community platform that connects people who need to outsource tasks, with people who are looking to earn money and ready to work.
Many of the jobs include local services like home cleaning, handyman jobs etc, but there has recently been a rise in online admin work, graphic design, web development and Virtual Assistant requests.
Upwork
A popular, global freelance site for finding short term and long term projects. When you setup a profile, Upwork highlights key jobs you'd be suitable for.
All time recording, contracts and payments are handled via Upwork, therefore you pay a small percentage of your hourly rate for each project. The more success you have with projects, the greater your feedback rating and the more jobs Upwork will put you forward for.
This is a great option for hassle free job search and client liaison.
Facebook Groups for your industry
Join Facebook groups within your industry, for example, if you work with health businesses , I suggest joining groups for 'health entrepreneurs', 'solo entrepreneurs' or 'women in business' etc.
However, a word of caution - these groups are NOT for pitching your services. Use them as a way to connect with like-minded people, and if there's an enquiry about Virtual Assistance or a question about various tasks/tools you have experience with, then offer your guidance and share what you do. This is a more authentic and gentle approach to finding clients.
There are strict guidelines for Facebook groups these days, as many people have used them as selling platforms. However, if you approach these online communities in the right way, then there's opportunities to make good connections and future referrals.
Facebook Groups for Virtual Assistants
There are also many groups on Facebook specifically for Virtual Assistants where members often share job notices.
LinkedIn is the online hub of business activity, with hundreds of companies and entrepreneurs using this site to make professional connections, search and recruit for jobs.
Make sure you have a Linkedin profile and it's up to date with relevant skills and experience. You can search through the job section for free and select job preferences, or upgrade to a Premium profile for additional features and job search tools.
The Freelance Collective (Australia Only)
This is a fantastic growing community of Australian freelancers, with private Facebook Group and Directory profiles, available for a monthly membership. Job notices are shared within their private Facebook group.
Freelancer.com
Similar to Upwork, this is a global freelancing platform for short projects, long term projects or ad hoc work. Its free to join and create a profile.
The site offers Contests and Projects - Contests are open to a wide range of freelancers to submit work and 'win' the job, therefore, these kind of jobs are generally for graphic design, logos, website etc. For Virtual Assistant jobs, I recommend searching through Projects instead, as the client will be seeking a single VA with specific skills.
I also recommend searching for specific tasks too. For example, if you're a whiz at setting up Mailchimp newsletters, search for 'Newsletters' and 'Mailchimp' to see if there are any short terms projects available.
All time recording, payments and contracts are handled via the Freelancer platform too.
BONUS TIP
Spread your profile over several key platforms in order to gain more exposure and access to jobs. However, don't forget to market yourself independently as well, through your social media pages and awesome website.